Improvement in coloring daguerreotype-pictures



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL DAVIS, JR, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN PLUMBE, JR.

IMPROVEMENT IN COLORING DAGUERREOTYPE-PICTURES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,826, dated October22, 1842.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL DAVIS, Jr., ofBoston, in the county of Sufi'olk and State of Massachusetts, havediscovered a new and useful Improvement in Daguerrcotype-Pictures, bywhich their surfaces are protected more or less from injury and variousdegrees or shades of different colors imparted to them, giving to them alife-like or natural appearance, and a general improvement in theirlights and shades effected,the following being a full and exactdescription of said improvement.

The process of producing daguerreotype or photographic portraits orother pictures being well understood, 1 shall confine myself to mymethod of effecting the above-mentioned improvement in them, which is asfollows: After the photographic surface is properly produced upon themetallic tablet it is immersed in a solution composed of sulphate ofcopper, water, and cyanuret of potassium, or one of chloride of golddissolved in water,

with the addition of cyanuret of potassium, or

a solution made by dissolving gold in aqua regia and then addingcyanuret of potassium; or in one composed of chloride of silverdissolved in a solution of cyanuret of potassium, according to the coloror colors it is desirable to produce upon the picture. The negative wireof a magneto-electric machine or galvanic battery of sufficientintensity should then be applied to or connected with the plate ortablet while the positive wire is immersed in the solution. The resultof this operation will be a combination of copper, gold, silver, 860.,according to the solution employed, with the photographic surface, andto such degree as circumstances may require. If I am operating upon adaguerreotype-miniature, and wish to produce a deeper shade of colorupon the face than upon the body or dress, the extremity of the positivepole or wire of the battery should be held longer in contiguity with theface than with the body of the image. A discoloration of the face willthus take place.

Then, if itis desirable to produce a different color upon the coat orother part of the picture, the plate is to be taken out of the solutionand similarly immersed in another, which is calculated to produce therequisite color. Thus one uniform color or shade may be obtained overthe whole surface of the picture, or difl'erent parts thereof may becolored, as above set forth. The positive pole or wire of the batterythus becomes the pencilby which the image may be tinted, while thedeposit formed upon the plate by this operation, combining with thechemical or photographic surface of the picture, produces a transparentcolor.

The above process greatly assists and improves the photographicproduct-ion of light and shade, while at the same time it fixes thepicture in a manner more or less approaching to indelibility, accordingto the amount of color deposited. There are other metallic solutionswell known to chemists which may be used in the above manner forproducing similar effects upon a photographic picture.

What I claim as myinvention and discovery, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

l. Depositing metals from their solutions upon thedaguerreotypc-pictures for the purpose of giving them the desired tintby connecting the pictorial plates with the negative pole of a galvanicbattery or magneto-electrical machine and immersing them in the abovesolutions or any other known solutions of metals, in the manner abovedescribed, or any other substantially the same.

2. In combination with the above process, the mode of tinting certainpart or parts of the pictures, all as herein set forth.

In testimony that the foregoing is a true de scription of my saiddiscovery I have hereto set my signature this 20th day of September, inthe year 1842.

DANIEL DAVIS, JR.

Witnesses R. H. EDDY, EZRA LINCOLN, Jr.

